Every few years the Transformers franchise chooses to grace the big screen and remind us that they exist. These robots in disguise have delivered two surprisingly decent movies, but mostly have a tendency to release sequels that prove that bigger doesn’t always mean better.
In 2018, Bumblebee relaunched the series by taking the story back to the 80s. It was a scaled-back adventure about a girl and her car that had the power to stop evil Decepticons from wiping out the Autobots and, potentially, humanity itself. Rise of the Beasts jumps right into 1994.
Noah (Anthony Ramos) is struggling to make ends meet, which is escalated when he can’t quite afford special medical care for his little brother. While attempting to steal a Porsche 911, which just so happens to be an Autobot, he is roped into a galactic battle between friendly Autobots, overpowered Terrorcons, and mysterious Maximals. Meanwhile, Elena (Dominique Fishback) has discovered the macguffin that each robot faction is looking for, and she joins Noah as the obligatory humans in the story.
Bumblebee surprised everyone (who saw it) as a Transformers movie with heart. Sure, it cashed in on the overly-popular 80s nostalgia movement at the time, but the acting chops of Hailee Steinfeld, combined with the most approachable Autobot, made that prequel stand above most in the franchise. Instead of now giving audiences a follow-up with those same likable characters, they fall for the Transformers trap of “If they liked it before, let’s double it!”
For some reason, this movie takes in 1994. You’ll never forget it during the movie as the script takes every opportunity to mention the OJ trial, cable TV, TLC, etc. The only justification to make this a prequel is to cash in on Bumblebee’s success and to rewrite the Michael Bay movie canon. Though canon and mythology don’t matter as the audience and filmmakers of this franchise must have an unspoken agreement to suspend all logic while spending time with these flicks.
The title of this iteration refers to The Beasts, as in Beast Wars. It’s a draw for fans of the animated show and may be enough to bring that audience in. However, these characters are largely a bait-and-switch. The intro shows the potential for what could have been a really cool and unique Transformers movie, but instead they are relegated to cameos, not being shown again until the movie is halfway done. Yes, a Transformers movie doesn’t feel right without Optimus Prime, but why in the world was he the main focus when there’s Optimus Primal waiting in the wings to get revenge on his arch nemesis.
Speaking of battles, there is one action scene worth watching early in the movie, but the eventual climax takes place on a grey landscape with grey robots. It’s so bland and forgettable, that I question if it actually happened. Honestly, I have to wonder if the filmmakers are just lazy with creating something of merit. If you get this kind of budget, wouldn’t you want to try harder to be somewhat exhilarating?
The voice cast is the highlight of Rise of the Beasts. Of course we get Peter Cullen once again as Optimus Prime. Joining him is Ron Perlman as Optimus Primal, Michelle Yeoh as Airazor, and Peter Dinklage as the very menacing Scourge. The aforementioned Porsche that escorts Noah to each mission is Mirage. I was surprised to find that he is voiced by Pete Davidson, and even more surprised that I didn’t hate him entirely.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the very definition of lackluster. It may pull optimistic fans in with the promise of references to Beast Wars, but the Maximals have almost no impact on the story. The Transformer effects look great, but the battles have no real (all)spark. The voice cast is good, even when the script isn’t. Oh, and the stinger teases some more big dumb fun in the future. This isn’t the worst sequel in the series, but it’s far from the best. D+
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